A Song About California
by CallMeLy
Summary: The trial is over, Elle and Emmett are together and everything is right. Elle decides to take a break and returns home to California while Emmett is busy working. After all they've been through, Elle struggles to adjust to not having Emmett around 24/7. Inspired by A Song About California by Hey Ocean!


**Disclaimer** \- I don't own Legally Blonde the Musical or any characters involved. Copyright to Heather Hach, Laurence O'Keefe and Nell Benjamin.

This is inspired by A Song About California by Hey Ocean!. It's not completely necessary for you to listen to it to understand the fic, but it's worth listening to anyway~ Some rare fluff from me about Elle/Emmett

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A Song About California

It was funny – California hadn't seemed quite so far away when she was chasing Warner.

Emmett had made sure Elle stayed at Harvard every holiday in her first year and although she wasn't too happy with his tactics at the time, it had paid off in the end. Still, that didn't stop her from wanting to go back home sooner or later. Now, with the trial won and her relationship with Emmett going smoothly, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to go back and visit her family and friends. Sure, her parents, Serena, Margot and Pilar had all been there at the trial but sadly they didn't have enough time to catch up properly. At least, not in Elle's books. No, she needed a good old fashioned shopping spree and Girls' Night with her Delta Nu sisters, as well as some quality time with her mom and dad. She knew she had to go home.

Just a week or so would be fine. She had work to do, after all, and she'd actually become something of a workaholic thanks to Emmett.

Emmett, Emmett, Emmett… Dear God, she could _not_ get that boy out of her head. Whether she was just thinking about him or he was physically there beside her, he kept her up at night. Even now, on the flight back to California, trying to focus on all the fun she had planned upon arriving, Elle was once again called back to the last conversation with her boyfriend. Which had only been a couple of hours ago. He had dropped her off at the airport, apologized once again for not being able to go with her (he was swamped with work himself), kissed her sweetly and said goodbye. Elle couldn't help the smile that was creeping onto her face at the thought.

" _Tell me all about it when you get back,"_ he'd said, _"Tell me what it's like to go back after leaving for the first time."_

Eventually, the plane landed and Elle soon found herself swamped by not only her parents, but practically all of Delta Nu as well, hugs, smiles and snaps all around. And the fun began.

While she was home, Elle and her friends roamed around all her old favourite places. The sights, the shopping, it all made her feel strangely nostalgic despite only having spent a few months of her whole life away from it all. But something was nagging at her in the back of her head. Or rather, someone. Emmett. But that was to be expected, right? This was the longest they had been apart since they became friends.

Elle shook her head and turned her attention back to the shoes Pilar was trying on.

Later, the girls were strolling in the sun in Griffith Park towards the Hollywood sign when Elle remembered a conversation with him.

" _What's the deal with California and songwriters?"_ he was just wondering out loud, but Elle took a moment to think about it, _"I mean, what makes the place such a popular topic?"_

As she looked around at, listened to, _felt_ California, something occurred to her. She'd lived here so long and had always loved it. Sure, she still loved it, but something seemed… off. Emmett was right that so many people had been inspired by this place. It _was_ beautiful, just like she remembered. But for some reason, she didn't feel as inspired as she probably should have. Where was her inspiration, then?

Only a couple of days later she had the same thought as she walked down Sunset Boulevard with her parents. Was it hard for those songwriters to come up with their lyrics? If she was going to write a song about California, she noted, she would never have thought it would be that hard. She couldn't find the words to describe the sights around them and when she tried, her thoughts drifted back to Boston. And _wow_ , was it a long way away.

She thought back on the long nights back in November and December when Emmett had helped her study. Back to the books shoved in her face and the countless Red Bulls and the almost affectionate way they argued when she refused to give his sweatshirt back. The days she would be going over case studies and notes and go to ask Emmett a question only to find him fast asleep or distracted scratching Bruiser behind the ear. The internship and how proud he had been of her. Taking him shopping and seeing him transform, though only really on the outside. The trial, and the messy aftermath with Callahan. His support when she took over as Brooke's lawyer.

The feeling of his lips on hers later that night, after the case was closed, Warner was gone and they finally had the chance to talk.

Elle was stirred from her blissful daydream by Pilar nudging her with a knowing smile.

"You still with us, sweetie?"

Elle blinked, noticing Serena and Margot approaching behind Pilar. Right, she was meeting them for lunch…

"Um, yeah, sorry," she smiled, shaking her head a little and throwing a hand up in a small shrug, "Just kinda distracted, you know?"

"Mmm…" Pilar nodded, "Missing Emmett, huh?"

"As usual."

"I thought you were texting him?" Margot chipped in.

"I am, it's just not the same."

The three let out a chorus of "aww!" and Elle laughed.

"I don't remember you feeling that way with Warner," Serena said pointedly, "Like, you two could do nothing but text with no face-to-face contact for a few days and it was enough. But you're, like, going through an Emmett-withdrawal right now." She paused to take a sip of her latte. "I never liked Warner." She grimaced at the name.

Margot's hand immediately shot up.

" _I_ did!"

Serena bit back a snide remark but Elle and Pilar ignored Margot's slip-up.

"… I can't wait to get back to him…"

The next day, Elle had some time to herself and chose to just wander around and see where her feet would take her. She wound up standing out on the Santa Monica pier late in the afternoon. She watched people come and go, watched the tide come in and out. It was relaxing, the sights and sounds of Santa Monica ringing in her ears, but soon her thoughts danced across the country back to her boyfriend.

She just wished he could be there. She spotted couples everywhere on the pier and her heart ached knowing Emmett wasn't around to enjoy the romantic atmosphere with her. She couldn't help but be a little bit annoyed at herself for wasting so much of her time in California thinking about him. On top of that, it only served to remind her just how far apart they were right now.

She sighed and looked up at the sky. The sun was just beginning to set and she headed towards the beach. A nice, quiet walk along the sand to end the day, accompanied still by the image of Emmett in her head.

On the last day of her visit, her parents threw her a party with the guest list consisting of the entirety of her Delta Nu chapter, her extended family and a few old friends. It was fun, catching up with everyone and enjoying the side of life she had left behind when she went to Harvard. There was congratulations and kind words coming from all directions and Elle lapped up the attention. There was promises to see each other again the next time she came home. More parties, lunches, shopping, meeting for golf and pilates and yoga.

Elle couldn't help but feel slightly detached. Sure, she still loved those things, but now she had seen the other side of life. Now she understood that there wasn't a limit to what she could be interested in. And it felt somehow stifling to be back in amongst the people she had grown up with. Yet also over-stimulating.

She had fun. There was no denying that. It was just that she had grown comfortable with Harvard life. With Emmett.

She ran to meet him when she got off the plane and enveloped him in a desperate hug. Breathing him in, she sighed softly.

"It's a long, _long_ way to go to California."


End file.
